Neverwinter Streets
by Viniard
Summary: Before the Whailing Death took its forceful grip on Neverwinter, there was life, peace, and tranquility. For a young man named Arkel, and his ragtag band of young thieves, that is about to change. Rated for language and graphic scenes of sickness and deat
1. Early assignment

**My inspiration for this story was not singularly Neverwinter Nights. The impact of the Wailing Death was very similar to the Black Death in Europe, and therefore interrupted and ended many, many, lives.**

**This story is not about swords, sorcery and heroism, but of the man caught in the middle, or rather the boys. "The Chocolate War" and "The Masque of the Red Death" are among my favorite pieces of literature, and I suppose you could call them the inspiration as much as Neverwinter Nights.**

**Perhaps someday, I'll post a heroic story of epic battle and good vs. evil, but for now, I'd rather tell a tale untold, the tale of those poor citizens of Neverwinter.**

**Enjoy.**

I climbed out of his bedroom window and into the street. The sweet smell of the bakery's bread and sweets seemed absolutely irresistible, and plagued me everyday as I walked solemnly to the schoolhouse. But I wouldn't stop, not today.

Neverwinter was as busy as ever this morning, as usual, nothing out of the ordinary today. Children would play, adults would work, older children went to school, soldiers trained, and so on. They would come home that evening, eat their fill of dinner, spend time with their families, rush off to bed, and then the process would start over again.

I wandered what would become of me in this never ending pace of the mundane. Others, like soldiers, lived far more interesting lives than I did. If I could be a soldier in the King's army….oh how wonderful. And….I would get to see the Lady Aribeth.

But even though my life seemed a small speck in the time continuum, I managed to keep myself sane. My parents constantly fought, providing me with an excuse to leave the house and let them destroy the furniture as they saw fit. Life in Neverwinter was boring, but occasionally one would see a magical duel, or an escaped prisoner, or a drunken bar fight, anything to stir up one's spirit.

Schoolwork and my "job" kept me busy most of the time. Jonce was a firm and strict teacher who believed in giving out assignments as often as he could.

That old prick…

But my job provided some excitement, and income, which I could spend at the Bakery, or at the bookstore if I had time to stop by. Perhaps it was not the most honorable trade one could deal in, but what did I care. I was making money and doing something I liked. Neverwinter was fraught with much larger crime than a small group of teenage boys. What business in their right mind would blame a stolen crate of merchandise on a group of fine, school going boys with well off families?

No one, that's who.

And how interesting we had a meeting this morning, Marto didn't usually call meetings this early in the week, perhaps he had found another job for us, or perhaps he was just being a jerk, that was after all, the two things he was best at.

Instead of heading up the hill towards the Plaza, and towards the schoolhouse, I turned right and kept walking. Jonce could shove his tardiness rules as far as I was concerned, he was second priority to my job.

I continued walking until I took another right, into a slew of buildings. God forbid we actually congregate in public for a change, after all, who would notice us?

I turned away from the main alley in between two buildings; I then began my routine descent into the alley's depths. I turned right, then left, then right again, then left again, then finally, I arrived in a hollow section amongst the buildings.

My friends, or "Co-Workers," were already here, and stationed around, awaiting instruction. Jinx came up behind me and held his knees, out of breath. Jinx was overweight a bit, and wasn't adept at running.

I looked around to see all the familiar faces I knew and admired. They were all bright eyed and bushy tailed for this morning's meeting. Jinx was far from it, and even I was a tad tired.

Sitting towards the back, on top of some old crates sat our assigner, Marto, Marto the bastard. He looked down at Jinx and myself and he grinned. That cheesy, fake grin… just another thing that made he dislike him.

Or did I really dislike him?

The others turned to watch him as he stood up and said, "Arkel, Jinx, so glad you could join us!" His voice was as impending yet still light and witty as ever.

"Sorry Marto…I'll…try to do better." Jinx said, still out of breath.

"What about you Arkel?" The bastard asked me.

"Sorry Mart, I'm not used to being required somewhere an hour before I'm supposed to come." I replied. My note said I was suppost to be here ten minutes from now.

Marto grinned his awul grin and stepped down from the crates. He was a slender, brown headed fellow of average height, not to different from the rest of us. But his appearance hid his true nature, his brilliance and his arrogance. He was very intelligent for his age, something he used to make us love and hate him.

"I know Jonce would throw a fit if some of you are late, so I'll be brief. Mr. Javitz has just imported nineteen crates full of Doss Tonic from Waterdeep."

Everyone looked around and whispered. Doss Tonic was famous for the buzz it gave you when you drank it down, even though it was suppost to be a healing potion.

"Can anyone tell me the street price of one Doss Tonic bottle?"

There was no answer for several seconds, finally, Nash raised his hand and said, "One bottle o' Doss Tonic'll cost you a good 153 gold!"

"Good job Nash!" Marto congratulated him. "Yes, 153 gold per bottle…nineteen crates full…think of it men, think of it."

Marto was addressing us like a king over his subjects, something I hated with a fiery passion, but I kept my mouth shut, he'd be done soon.

"I want everyone to meet tonight behind Javitz's shop tonight at midnight. Wear anything Black, and Jinx, bring that cart with you." Marto smiled at him, "If it's not too much trouble…"

"N…no! Never Marto!" Jinx spoke nervously, "I'll bring it for you! My dad will be asleep by then anyway!"

"Good! Then it's settled! We'll each keep a crate or so, and then sell it here in Neverwinter for a high price. Think of it men, just think of it."

Marto, you bastard. You did it again.

"Alright then! Dismissed!" Marto waved his hand to signal us dismissed from the meeting. Disgusted, I turned to leave. Some followed me, others, the school drop outs stayed with Marto.

We rushed to school as fast as we could, Jonce would have us all hung from the gallows if we weren't on time. "Marto….you bastard." I continued to mutter.

Jinx ran as fast as his legs would carry him, and still had to stop every few minutes.

We arrived late, and knew it fully. I clasped my hand on the doorknob to enter the schoolhouse and turned it slowly. The door creaked as I opened it, revealing it's inside.

Jonce was nowhere to be found.

Instead, classmates were gathering their books and preparing to leave. I stopped one of my classmates.

"What's going on? Where's Jonce? Why's everyone leaving?" I asked.

"Didn't you hear? Jonce is out sick today! We get a whole day off of school!"

"Jonce….out sick?"

"Yeah I know! I couldn't believe it either. It must be a doozy of a sickness to keep him out of school! Well, see you Arkel!" He ran through the door eager to get home.

Great.

Now I had to go home, to that house I hate so much, with no excuse to leave. But what troubled me most was Jonce's absence. I had seen him nearly pass out from coughing one week, but he never missed a day….what could have happened to him?

I turned and headed for home. As I left, I heard Jinx swear to himself, running wasn't his thing.

I had nothing to do but wait for tonight. Marto's plan would fall into place, and tomorrow Jonce would be back in school. Nothing unusual would happen.


	2. Books

I turned down the walkway and past the blacksmith. The sound of metallic hammering echoed through the streets and through my ears as the blacksmith waved to me. I gave a weak wave to him and continued my pace. I had more important things on my mind than idle chit chat with local merchants. First and foremost, where in hell would I keep my share of the tonic? Father would have a hex placed on me if he found out I was thieving tonic….I couldn't exactly let it sit in my bedroom.

I would have to find a decent place to put it outside of my home, but where?

Marto, you bastard.

I couldn't ask anyone else to take mine…except maybe Jinx. His father always had plenty of space, and he would never question Jinx's innocence. I could ask Jinx to just carry mine back with his...but Jinx would have trouble hauling his own share…unless I maybe helped him haul it…

All these thoughts and more ran through my mind. Deciding to take a break from my job, I walked by the bookstore, and in through its blue doors. The bookstore was never well lit, and still seemed dim in right and sunny weather, which made it difficult for anyone to read in its atmosphere. Anse was sitting behind a polished wood counter, reading a book under a dim lamp, his long nose stuck out from behind his reading glasses as usual. He seemed absent from reality, totally absorbed in whatever he was reading.

The bell above the door rang a soft, chiming ring, alerting him to my presence. He slowly looked up from his book, towards the door and smiled. Anse was the kind of man who wanted to help you out, especially when it came to reading. If you were in search of a book, he could never sleep until he had found it for you.

"Young Mister Arkel, what brings you to my place of business this afternoon? Looking for an epic story of heroism, research book, a musty old tome of magic perhaps?" Anse smiled a toothy grin at me.

"Afternoon Anse." I replied, "Not looking for anything really, just something to spend my money on I suppose." I halfway smiled, and let him rummage to the nearest bookshelf.

Books were spilled across the store's tables liberally and without restraint, Anse must have read 10 books a day. The store itself was not only dimly lit, it wasn't very big. It had its very small main room, and since Anse was tall, his head all but scraped the ceiling. There was a room behind his desk, and a room off to the right of the entrance, perhaps it was a reading room, I had never gone in there before.

Anse pulled a book from the shelf and set it down on the nearest table. "I think you'll like this one, a very heroic story, full of vitality and strength."

"Thanks." I replied, "I might actually have time to read on my own for a little while, since Jonce was out sick today…."

"Oh yes, I heard about that…sounded terrible."

I laughed. "Well, don't worry yourself too much, Jonce isn't one to be kept out of school, he'll be back tomorrow I'd say, still as mean and stiff as ever…."

Anse froze and looked at me sternly. I was still browsing through the books, I didn't notice him until several seconds later. He looked at me narrowly down his reading glasses, as if I'd done something I wasn't supposed to. I stared back at him for a second.

This was the most serious I had ever seen Anse before. "Mister Arkel, I beg you not to judge what you don't understand. Mr. Jonce's sickness is no laughing matter."

I was shocked to hear him say that. "A…Anse…it's okay, he's probably just got a bad cold…."

"This is no cold Mister Arkel." He loosened slightly, "On my way to the shop this morning, I passed Mr. Jonce's house. There was quite a crowd inside and out, family mostly. They scurried back and forth, whispering amongst one another. His brother was outside gathering a pale of water, so I stopped and asked him what was going on. He told me that Mr. Jonce had fallen severely ill, it was a sickness none of them had ever seen before….sores all over his body, a rabid fever…it sounded awful. They had called for a doctor before I got there, hopefully he got there and can help Mr. Jonce…oh it was awful sounding."

Anse finished and shook his head. He picked up the book he was holding and held it out to me. "Take it, you'll enjoy it."

I took the book and followed him to the counter. He always gave me a special discount, anything to see Neverwinter's youth pick up a book and read.

I turned to leave. As I walked across the wooden floor to the door, Anse called to me, "Mister Arkel?"

I turned around to meet his gaze. "Be wary, keep indoors. You wouldn't want to catch something if it's going around….enjoy that book, stay indoors."

I nodded towards him and left through the door, back onto the street.

As I walked, I looked down at the book he had given me. It looked rather new, but not entirely. Anse had read it for sure, probably in a day or two then put it back on the shelf.

I shook my pockets, listening to all the gold I still had left. "Good man that Anse." I said quietly.

My classmates had all scattered back to their homes, so nay hope I had of spending the day with a friend were gone.

Of course I could go back to our hideout and help Marto prepare…

I'd sooner hurl myself into the open sea.

It was in a way my responsibility to help if I could…and others would be going back as well.

Forget Marto. I'm not on duty until tonight. Anse gave me this book to read, I suppose I could do just that.

I decided to take the longer way home, seeing as my day was not even close to over. I cut around a few corners and listened to the chatter of the townsfolk, maybe I would hear some juicy gossip or perhaps something beneficial to my job…

There seemed to be quite a chatter the farther I moved on. Most of in was incomprehensible, but in little slips on conversation, I distinctly heard the name, Jonce. What has happened to cause such a stir of panic? How could word have gotten around this quickly? At this rate, word would spread to Neverwinter's four corners in no time. What in the world was happening?

Ahead, I saw a crowd of people gathered. They all stood, side by side outside of one house, Jonce's house. Men and women of all ages were gathered, some of them my classmates…

I reluctantly entered the crowd and began to listen.

"So he's that bad off? Sounds terrible."

"How long has that healer been in there?"

"I heard he had sores all over him…sounds disgusting."

"They say he moans in pain sometimes…"

I heard all this and more as I stood amongst the audience of eager Neverwinter citizens. All of this was about my school teacher? Was it really that bad?

Through the doors to his house stepped a man wearing a long robe. He spoke in a deep and commanding voice to everyone outside: "Everyone who is concerned for Mr. Jonce should set aside their worries. While we cannot determine the cause of his illness, we are doing all in our power to do so, I encourage you all to return to your jobs or homes, knowing that your children's schoolteacher will be well soon, but in the mean time, the students will experience an absence of school. Again, leave the care of Mr. Jonce to family and return to your daily lives. Good Day." The man turned down the road towards the top of the square, towards the holy temple of Tyr.

Not wanting to stick around to hear anymore disgusting gossip, I continued my trek home.

Although my house was of fair size, and so was my room, it always felt as though the walls were closing in. My parents are what did this. While in my room trying to relax, they would constantly fight and often drag me into it by calling me in the next room to take someone's side, or perhaps to just be yelled at. They did after all needed SOMEONE to blame, heaven forbid it was ever themselves.

I approached our house, long, wide and brown. I could go in through the window and stay in my room, but I supposed I should tell mother and father what had happened. I walked around the house slowly, dreading what could await me inside. I rounded the corner and then stopped in front of the door. I turned the doorknob slowly, then pushed the door open, leading inside. I closed it behind me and stared into the room. Father sat at the table, reading a book, while mother stood at the stove, stewing a pot for dinner.

How lucky.

"Home already?" Mother asked.

Father was a tad more blunt in asking questions, "What are you doing home?"

I hesitated, but replied, "Jonce was out sick today, we got a day off from school."

"Jonce? Sick?...You wouldn't be putting me on would you?" Father asked.

"No…he really was gone. I stopped by his house on the way home too. There was a crowd, and a wizard was there too. He told us Jonce was sick and would be out of school for a few days, but that they were working to cure it…"

"Jonce sick? A wizard? You are putting me on. Why are you home so damn early?" Father asked, putting down his book.

"No, he's telling the truth. I heard it from a woman at the bazaar this morning. They say he's bed ridden with sores and bleeding, that he moans in pain from time to time…" Mother tried to speak in my defense.

"….Jonce out sick….that's never happened before. It wasn't something you and your damned little friends did to him was it?" Father stared at him hard and narrowly, I could feel a hate well up inside me, something made me want to lash out at him, to tell him how I really felt….but I didn't.

"No father. We would never hurt Mr. Jonce." I started off to my room.

'Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

I stopped and clenched my fist, "To my room….to read. I bought a book today…"

"From that half-crazed book keeper no doubt. It's not right how much he reads, a man ought to be out working, not cooped up reading books all day, the same goes for you." He spoke coldly, as if he wanted me to push back, I decided to indulge him.

"Anse isn't crazy…he's a good man. He even gave me a discount…"

"I send you to school to learn enough to get a decent job somewhere, so you won't be another poor, ignorant peasant like everyone in the Beggar's Nest. That doesn't mean you can keep yourself all day in there reading."

I could feel the blood well up in me. He wanted me to strike back, he wanted me to hate him. He had too, what else could he be doing?

"I like reading…."

"A boy your age ought to be helping your mother with the house…."

"I have a job…"

"Doing nothing I'd wager. You do what? Sweep out stores? Arrange things on shelves?"

I couldn't take it anymore.

"IF I'M THE LAZY ONE, THEN WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU AT WORK TODAY!"

Everyone froze. I did, mother did, and father did. He looked at me with the same hate I felt for him. He jumped out of his chair and started towards me. I ran into my room and angrily slammed the door, then locking it.

I walked over to my bed, hearing him bang on the door and curse at me. Mother was there now too, trying to calm him down and taking my side in the process.

Here it comes.

Father turned his attention away from me and onto mother. They yelled and cursed and I heard things break.

I settled down, trying to block out the noise. The book Anse gave me had a beautiful gold colored exterior. I opened it and began to read.

It was a story about a hero, but he had not yet become a hero. He was simply a knight in training, but one day he would get his chance to do something wanderful. The book allowed me to escape from the harsh realities of what went on in the next room.

There was another thump on the door, most likely a chair. The noise was so impending, so immense, I had to leave, even if that meant dealing with Marto.

I ran to the far side of the room where the loose floorboard was. I pulled it up, revealing my collection of books Anse had sold me. They all held a special place in my heart, which is why I had to hide them…I had to keep them secret. I slid my book under the floorboard and then set my schoolbooks to the side of my bed.

I slowly crept to the door and unlatched it.

Turning around, I heard them quiet a little, but soon they would start again, until one of them left the house or they were too tired to fight. I slid my window open and hopped out onto the street.

I would have to help the others organize the mission tonight. Marto was a bastard, but he had helped me this time. That was Marto.


	3. Special Privelages

"Here we are after the last crate is carried off. I don't want us going down the streets of Neverwinter carrying them all. We'll go around the back of the shop and down to Jinx's house, his dad won't be awake, and we can divide up the loot there for individual sale..." The others nodded in agreement as Marto announced his best laid schemes. I stood around the corner, listening. I wasn't ready to devote an entire day to taking orders from him, but I was ready to do anything to escape my home, and this seemed to be the most logical thing to do. Who knows….maybe I could make the plan even better.

I quickly erased that thought from my mind. Marto would have no use for any ideas but his own, and that was that. But I could live with that.

I rounded the corner and gave a weak, "Hello fellas."

Everyone turned to meet me, even Marto. They looked with interest and seemed more than surprised at my presence. I was after all a school attendee, something the others here weren't. Marto never went to school to my knowledge. Hell, he didn't need it. He was the smartest of any other I knew, making him even more of a bastard.

Marto grinned as he looked at me, "Arkel. So you've decided to join us? Have you finally seen school is a waste of time like the rest of us?"

I shook my head no.

"Oh but Arkel….there are riches to be had! Most of which cannot be found in a schoolhouse!"

"My teacher…Jonce…he was out sick today. I have the day off and figured I should come help arrange things for tonight." I finished my statement confidently, letting everyone know they were my top priority right now.

It is possible that Marto saw right through me, but he didn't say anything. He chose instead to play to my availability. "Of course, of course. Glad to see we have at least one school going member that is devoted enough to come help when he can."

"I heard about that." Kad replied. Kad was a large, muscular fellow with deep penetrating eyes. But, strangely, he never intimidated me. His nature was always good, and he spoke in a normal tone to everyone. "He's moaning and crying every second. Covered in sores from head to toe they say."

"My, that sounds awful." Marto pretended to be sympathetic. The bastard. Or…was he really pretending? I let a huge sigh escape my lips.

"Yep. I heard it when I went to get milk for you boys. They saw one of the wizards heading toward the temple of Tyr in the plaza. Sounds like they may try to get some divine assistance."

"If magic can't heal it, only the gods can." Another said.

"It sounds just terrible. But alas, we have more important things to attend to. I'll say a little prayer for your school teacher Arkel." Marto turned back to his work, a long sheet of parchment sprawled across an empty crate, covered in little drawings of objects, simple math and stick figures.

Marto began to explain his plan to me. One of our members had acquired the information about the tonic through his own father, who was good friends with the owner, Mr. Javitz. Nash was smart enough to figure a way into the shop without alerting anyone. That was his specialty. Nash used to be like me, he used to go to school. Then, suddenly, he started skipping every once in a while. Now, he would pop in every once in a while, only if he really got bored or if Marto was asking him to do something difficult. "Well Mart, I would, but I haven't been in class for a while…" I heard him say many a time. Jonce often overlooked his presence if he came, thinking he wouldn't come back again anyway.

Jinx was assigned the task of bringing the cart. His father was a merchant that dabbled in import and export trading. He always had a lot of storage room to spare, and plenty of equipment for hauling merchandise. Plus, he always trusted his son. Jinx didn't have the look of a professional thief. He was short, pudgy, and could hardly draw breath after running.

Nash was assigned the actual infiltration part. How he did it was always a secret, but he always managed to do what Marto wanted him to do. I was curious to see how he could break into Mr. Javitz's store without being caught. It was after all, a very populated area of the city; anyone could hear glass breaking, or a hammer hitting the lock. He would have to use finesse, but I didn't worry. He was good at it.

I was assigned the task of overseeing the loading, which was a large task. I decided who loaded, and how much at a time. One wrong move and we could be running from the city guard in an instant. Why was Marto doing this for me? Why was he doing this TO me? Was he being kind or cruel? Helpful or hurtful?

Marto….you bastard.

Nightfall came quickly it seemed. The others began showing up, one by one, ready for their assignment. Jinx came in latest, hauling a massive cart behind him and cursing every step of the way. Marto looked over his loyal subjects happily, knowing the full extent of their resolve to serve his orders. I looked around. Everyone was dressed in black, prepared to remain unseen under the cover of night. My trousers were already black, but my shirt was white and would reflect any light that decided to bounce off of it. Lusce, one of the other boys saw my problem as easily as I did. He quickly removed his top layer and then the second. Lusce always dressed in layers, he seemed far more sensitive to Neverwinter's climate than the rest of us. Someone once mentioned to me he used to live in Amn as a child. He tossed me one of his black shirts, and then asked me to give him mine. He replaced his second layer with my white shirt and then threw his first black shirt on again.

The others stood anxiously in the cold of night, awaiting Marto's instructions. Jinx sat and panted on his cart, not speaking a word, but occasionally muttering an obscenity or two.

"Is everyone here?" Marto glanced around our hideout's small space. He looked over at Nash at nodded.

Nash grinned a widely and then took off through the streets.

"Now, I need everyone to line up in front of me." The others obeyed instantly. My stomach twisted at their obedience to him. I saw them there, all in a row, and knew it was my turn to stroke Marto's ego. I started to walk towards the line, but was stopped. Marto threw his arm out in front of me. I was shocked and somewhat frightened. Marto never used his body so familiarly to me. "No Arkel, you stay here. You already know your orders." He said it smoothly, not giving me any hint of cruelty or sarcasm in his voice.

What was he doing? Why was he treating me this way? Why was he treating me like one of his precious officers?

Marto waved his fingers in incoherent and pointless motions, as if he was trying to pick which people he wanted going where, but he already knew.

"Jinx."

Jinx snapped to attention and said, "Y…yes Marto?"

"I see you brought the cart like we requested," I was curious to know what "we" he was talking about. "And I trust you have the space we need for storage ready?"

"Er…yes, yes Marto. You know me, always on top of things." Jinx laughed nervously. Marto gave him a small, simple smile in return.

"Arch, Lusce, go with Jinx. You three are to go east, around the back of the smithy, and then to the shop."

Lusce's eyes shot open. "But…that means…we'll have to go across the street…"

"Perhaps, but you could follow the back alley behind the smithy to the street corner, then dart across the street into the next alley, there you will meet us behind Javitz's shop."

"Er…right." Lusce wasn't sure of his orders.

"Kad, Phwee, my three officers, Arkel and myself will be going the west way, down the side of the district, where we will meet the rest of you at the rendezvous point…"

I drifted in and out of Marto's speech. All the other boys played close attention; hanging on Marto's every word as if he were one of the gods.

"…and then down the right alley to the back of the shop. Has everybody got that?"

I snapped to attention as Marto raised his arms in conclusion. "Alright. Go now. Be at the rendezvous point as soon as possible." My co workers began to disperse into the city streets, only to be re-united again in the dark alley behind Mr. Javitz's shop.

As the last of them left, Marto turned to the rest of us. Kad and Phwee stood beside me, as well as Marto's three officers, Gor, Fallon, and Krast. His three officers were all tall and tough looking. Fallon was a little closer to my height than the others, but he could still crush me like a bug if he ever felt inclined to.

"Let's go." Marto waved for us to follow him. We left our hideout quickly, spilling into the streets, moving like rats in the moonlight. Street lamps shown brightly and gave us the light we needed to navigate the streets quickly. Marto lead us. He was dressed in a long black coat, adding to his aura of authority. I followed in silence as did the others. Kad occasionally muttered something to himself, but Phwee was silent, as he usually was.

We followed Marto down the street, along the side of the district, not questioning how we were getting there. The three officers were silent as well, but occasionally they would shoot glances at one another, making me nervous as to what they could be planning. Maybe this was all a setup! Maybe Marto was luring me into a private area to have me killed! There could be no other explanation of his generosity. Gor, Fallon, Krast, and possibly my other two partners were going to beat me to a pulp before letting Marto deliver the final blow.

I took a deep breath and sighed.

Of course that's not what's happening. Was I just looking for another excuse to hate Marto? That bastard.

We entered a square in the street. I could hear the sounds of crickets in the distance. I thought we were alone….

"Good evening young ones." A voice called.

We all froze in our tracks. Someone had spotted us. It could all be over in this instant. Marto slowed his pace and then stopped to look, not one to lose his image so quickly.

I turned to look at who had spotted us. He was a tall man wearing a red robe. His eyes pierced us like cold sticks of ice. His forehead had a kind of marking on it. He was bald and was carrying a book under his arm.

I sighed in relief. It was only one of those Helmites, priests of the god, Helm.

Marto shook his head and said, "Evening sir. I apologize, but we've no time to talk. Let's go."

I continued after Marto. "Well now, you seem to be in quite a hurry there. Something of importance?"

Marto was becoming agitated, "I don't feel that's any of your business sir. I'm sorry, but we must continue."

"Very well young master. But at the very least, would you like a blessing for your journey?" The Helmite inquired.

"No sir, I'm sorry we cannot oblige. We've other things to attend to." We continued on down the street. A few seconds passed and I noticed Kad was not with us. I looked back over my shoulder to see Kad standing in front of the Helmite. The old man muttered a small chant and then touched his hands to Kad's head. There was a small flash of red light and then only night. Kad nodded at the old man and then ran to catch up with us.

I shook my head as Kad caught up to walk beside me. "What was that?" Marto asked.

"Oh come now Mart, we're engaging in some extra ordinary things here, the least we can do is indulge an old priest in giving us a blessing. Who knows, it could help.

Marto shook his head, but said no more. We continued on. Soon, we came to an alleyway in the series of buildings to our left. Marto darted down the alley and we followed.

The alleyway seemed to go on for a half-mile. I could just see the light of the lamp posts on the other side. We followed Marto halfway down the alley to where a lamp was resting on a crate. We all stopped and waited, saying nothing. Marto would explain things soon enough.

The cold air filled our lungs as we stood in the darkness waiting. What we were waiting for, I didn't know. We were behind a small building. I guessed this was Javitz's shop, although I couldn't be sure. It was nighttime, and I had never been behind his shop before.

Suddenly, a door next to the lantern flung open. Marto didn't flinch, but the rest of us jumped slightly. Nash stood in the doorway grinning and spinning a set of keys on his fingers. We all sighed in relief as Nash gave us a short chuckle. "Here's the storage room Marto."

"How was your infiltration?"

"Easy. The old geezer left the window up there open!" Nash pointed up above his head where a small window, just his size, was right under the roof.

We heard small footsteps coming from the other end of the alleyway. Our crew had arrived. The main body of boys came first, whispering and chuckling as they walked. Bringing up the rear was poor Jinx. He, Lusce and Arch came slowly, as Jinx they were severely impeded by the weight of the cart.

Soon, everyone was squished together in that small alley. Marto had said nothing. I looked over at him confusedly. It was difficult to bring myself to address him but….

"Um, Mart, shouldn't we be getting started?"

He grinned and turned to look at me. "That's up to you. You're in charge of loading, remember?" He walked down the alleyway with his three officers behind him. He pointed to the end of the alleyway and then behind him to the other end. Krast and Fallon went to one end of the alley and stood there, keeping watch. Gor turned around and grabbed Kad. He motioned to the other end of the alley.

Marto looked at me with great interest. He wanted to see how I was going to handle things. That bastard.

I knew what I had to do. I turned to look at the others and spoke in a hushed tone. "Alright then boys…Mart's put me in charge of the loading so….let's get to it."

They whispered amongst themselves, but I didn't care. "Arch and Lusce…take the cart in there, then you two and Jinx can take a break. You look tired." Jinx nodded. He was exasperated. Arch and Lusce grabbed the cart and scooted it into the storage room of the shop. They exited and collapsed in a heap next to Jinx.

"Okay then…three men to a crate. Take one at a time and make sure you're all lifting. If a crate drops, and those tonic bottles break, we'll be into it for sure. Take your time with it…" My co-workers nodded and obeyed. They entered the shop's storage room to begin loading. Nervously, I looked at Marto out of the corner of my eyes. He smiled and gave me a very small nod.

That…that bastard. Is he really doing this for me? Why? WHY!

I walked in behind them and supervised the loading. It went smoothly for the most part. There were a couple of slips, but no one dropped a crate, thank goodness.

I glanced outside. Nash was taking to Marto. The two chuckled together at something. Nash always had a keen wit, he was probably tickling Marto's funny bone with a tale of how he managed to reach the window leading inside. Unless….they were laughing at me. Were they? Were they plotting something? Was I simply chosen for this task randomly? Or did Marto see something in me?

The loading was done quickly with the amount of men we had. I looked over the stack up of crates. There were a lot of them, and this was a huge cart. It would take nearly every man to pull this cart…

"Alright then, that looks good, let's get it outside." They obeyed again and began to slowly push the cart into the alley, in front of Jinx, Lusce and Arch who were enjoying their rest.

Our four watchdogs came down the alley to grab the two ropes used for hauling the cart. Others grabbed the back and sides to make sure nothing fell off. Jinx, Lusce and Arch jumped up to hold the sides of this massive mountain of crates we had created... A smaller boy got in front between the two ropes and held the crates up there.

I moved in to help, but again, Marto stopped me. "That's okay Arkel, I think they have a handle on things. You can walk with Nash and me." I was shocked at his statement. Now I was allowed to slack off with Marto and Nash while the others did work? I couldn't believe it.

The boys pulled the cart to the opposite end of the alley from which I had come in at.

"We'll be going to your house, right Jinx?" Marto asked.

"Of course Marto, of course." He replied.

We set off, as quietly and discreetly as we could, for Jinx's home. As I walked, I heard Nash whisper to Marto and myself a funny story about his dog and how it had tried to steal a wad of dough from the bakery the other day. The way he described the baker's reaction and colorful language was funny, but my mind was stirring with thought.

Marto was clearly doing something for me. That's Marto, hate him one minute and love him the next, that bastard.

More importantly, my life seemed to be going somewhere now. I was finally accomplishing something. And most importantly, nothing could ever change it.


	4. A Scream In The Night

I took a deep breath and accessed the situation before us. We would have to split up the tonic individually…nineteen crates…that was about a half crate apiece.

Still…the crates were large, and even half of one would be a chore to carry, let alone hide. I had to think… there had to be someone who could hold it for me until I could sell it all. I couldn't keep it at home; there were numerous reasons for that. If father ever found it…oh the consequences would be horrible.

But I had time to mull it over. Here we were, sneaking through the streets of Neverwinter, the boys hauling a cart that had to weigh hundreds of pounds. I was incredibly nervous. If someone were to pat me on the back suddenly, I might have screamed. To my amazement, Nash and Marto were unscathed. They were both incredibly relaxed. How? How could they be relaxed? If anyone in authority were to see us, we'd be arrested immediately and without question! Why weren't the panicked? Is it possible that Marto paid everyone in the damned Beggar's Nest to ignore our operations? Could he really have done that? Why was he so relaxed? That bastard…

We continued our path, hugging the shadows that houses and other buildings cast in the moonlight. Everything was calm, some dos barked in the distance, crickets chirped. The strain of carrying the cart must have been huge…but why should I care? I was excused from any labor the entire night. What was Marto doing? He was always so damn condescending and rude to me…

My train of thought was interrupted suddenly. I froze in my tracks as did the others. We stood motionless for a second listening. It was horrible. The most blood curdling scream I had ever heard in my life. We looked around to find the source of the scream. It was Kad who pointed to the window of the house next to us and said, "There!"

He was right. The scream was coming from inside the house. It sounded again and echoed into the streets sending a chill through the entire group. "By all the hells, what is that screaming?" Nash muttered. Marto, agitated by the hold up walked to the front of the group. He crouched down in front of a window and peered inside.

I knew this house. This was the house I passed every day. This was the house I almost always dreaded to look at. This was the house of my schoolteacher. This was Jonce's house.

Marto shook his head profusely as Nash and I moved in behind him. We peered inside eagerly.

The house seemed to be in turmoil. People rushed across the floors, scrambling to acquire different items, and throw down others. Some were attempting to clean the mess that was strewn across the floor. In the corner, a small child held his knees and looked around, terrified. The screaming seemed to be interminable, causing more than a few of us to cringe. Along with the scream came other, commanding voices. There must have been a group of men shouting orders at the rest of these poor people.

Without warning, the front door burst open and a man ran outside. He was carrying a bucket and a ladle. We all froze and watched. He didn't seem to notice us standing there in plain sight, or if he did, he didn't care. The man ran toward a water pump next to the building. He held the bucket out under the spicket and pumped frantically. We stood and watched, afraid to move. Water splashed into the bucket and filled nearly to the top. With that, the man ran back into the house as quickly as he had come.

We all stood for a second and then Marto motioned for us to move again. What was happening in there? What was happening to Jonce? Those people seemed frantic….and who were the men shouting orders? The entire situation seemed to complicate itself.

No.

No. I won't think about it. I won't dwell on what I can't change. I have to a job to attend to and a new promotion to dwell on.

So on we walked. Jinx's house was almost in sight. Jinx's father worked in the Docks district and was charged with the storage of the city's imported goods so local merchants could pick them up there. We were, after all, poor people, and it was much more convenient to pick up your goods in an area close to home. Because of his job, Jinx's father had in his possession a very large warehouse, perfect for storing bootleg tonic.

"There it is fellas." Jinx said, exhaustion in his voice. He pointed to a house that seemed to stand off to the side. Next to it was a huge, one-story building.

"Pick up the pace boys, we're almost there." Marto walked to the front of the crowd and motioned for Nash and myself to follow. As I walked, I noticed the others eyeing me carefully. Their looks did not contain malice; so much as they contained curiosity. What had I done to deserve this treatment? What had I done that was so great? Why did Marto allow me to give orders to the rest of them and then share in none of the hard labor?

We stopped in front of the wide wooden doors on the warehouse. Jinx let go of the cart's front handle and fumbled in his pockets for a second. He pulled a ring of keys out and took hold of a large silver one. He turned to the rest of us. He didn't dare speak to Marto with such authority, and since Nash and I were on either side of him, he ignored us as well. But he stared strenly at the rest of them and said, "Now be really careful and quiet. If my father hears people stirring in his warehouse at night, he'll come out here with three servants, all armed with axes! And don't spill anything either!" He turned and unlocked the door, allowing him to swing the doors open.

We all moved inside as Jinx lit a few torches, handed them to some of the others, and then guided us to what he called, "a scarcely used" part of the warehouse. Here, he said, his father would never notice our merchandise. We stopped where he did and the others began unloading the merchandise. Marto sat down on a nearby box and let out a sigh. Nash followed suit and so did I. We watched the others continue to strain at length, unloading every crate onto the floor and scooting it behind a series of drapes Jinx had hung from the shelves.

When all work was done, the others gathered around Marto and awaited his orders. He sighed, stood up, and said, "Good work. You will all be responsible for picking up an equal share of tonic to sell this week. Jinx will divide it into 43 equal shares and hand it over to you for sale. By the end of the week, each of you will have picked up your share and begin to sell it. But only come at night, and bring the necessary supplies to carry it all! You may go now, make sure none of you are seen."

The crowd dissolved slowly, leaving only Nash, Marto, Marto's officials, Jinx, and myself behind. "Jinx," Marto said, "I hope you understand, since you have an absence from school this week, you are to stay here every night in case one of your co workers shows up to claim his or her share of the merchandise. Make sure you divide it into 43 equal shares, or as close as you can get…" he smiled, "I'm not picky." Jinx stared at the floor, breathing heavily and said, "Sure thing Marto, sure thing."

Marto then turned to his three officials, "You three can go." They nodded and left from sight.

Nash stood up, stretched, and yawned, "Well, I best be gettin' some sleep eh Marto? I'll see you tomorrow, regular time."

"You can take tomorrow off if you wish Nash." Marto said. Nash, slightly surprised, smiled pleasantly and left our presence.

"You can take off too if you want Arkel." Marto said casually. I turned to look at him. His focus was on the merchandise Jinx was pulling the drapes over. Why was he doing this? What was his reasoning for treating me, who hated his guts, any different from his other men? "You did such a good job being in charge tonight, you deserve to rest a little."

The thought of being home all day tomorrow shot into my head and sickened me.

"That's okay," I replied, "I'm okay. I'll be there tomorrow."

Marto smiled at me and said, "Totally devoted. I like that." He then set off through the warehouse to leave and I followed in his footsteps. We closed the door behind us, leaving Jinx alone in the darkness.


	5. Do I dare disturb the Universe?

Two days passed and my meaningless existence carried on. When Marto had nothing for me to do, I wandered the streets, anything to stay out of that wretched house.

I stayed as clear as I could from Jonce's residence as I had no desire to hear the screaming and sounds of general disarray that the community had come to associate with his house.

Thank the Gods though. Today was Pay Day.

It was the last bit of gold anyone was to receive until they had met their quota of profit from the Doss tonic. I would have to pick mine up tonight or tomorrow, but I had no idea where I could keep it….perhaps I could take a little at a time and sell only as much as I could carry in a pack. But Marto would never allow it….

Or would he?

He has certainly been more tolerant of me lately…

He would want it sold as soon as possible to avoid any chance of detection.

When Javitz found out his shop had been robbed and his wares pilfered in the night, the news spread rapidly through the neighborhood. Everyone was aware they had a band of thieves in their midst. But who would suspect a group of boys our age? They'd no reason to. We were safe…for the time being.

At night I couldn't avoid going home to sleep. I stayed out as long as I possibly could before growing tired. Nightfall came quickly, but I didn't care. I knew the streets well and knew of ways to stay out of sight at night. But eventually, I would have to go home. Even I was not cavalier enough to sleep in the streets of the Beggar's Nest. No one I knew was. Nash claims to have spent the night on the streets many times, but I never knew if I believed him or not. Someone is liable to kill you for your boots in this district of the city.

I waltzed into my house a few hours after nightfall. Mother was sitting at the table, quietly eating. Father sat to my far left next to the fireplace. His eyes turned away from the fire and I knew what was going to happen next.

"Where the hell have you been all day?" I stood silent for a second. "Answer me!"

"I was working…" I replied solemnly.

"Bull shit!" He replied angrily, "You're out playing with your little friends while your mother and I are working!"

"I AM working." I said in return.

"No you're not! What job keeps you this late? Who the hell do you work for anyway?" His voice rose as he yelled.

"I…can't say." I knew I was in for it now.

"CAN"T SAY? Well why not?!"

"My employer….values his privacy." I tried not to look him directly in the eye.

He yelled. Oh sweet heavens above, he yelled. And he yelled, and yelled, and yelled. Mother just stood there.

"….that crazed bookkeeper! He must be the one! Well I'm going over there…" He stormed off toward the door.

"I don't work for Anse!" I yelled.

He stopped and turned around. He was getting angrier. "WELL WHO IS IT THEN?!"

"I can't say! He'll fire me!" I replied, raising my voice a little too.

"Fire you? Well that sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Maybe if you're fired you'll start working around here for a change. Yep, that's exactly what you need. You won't be working at your little job anymore." He finished as if this was the end of it.

In a split second my blood boiled, he couldn't be reasoned with, what was his problem with me? I faced a fight or flight situation. I decided to fight.

"Me? Fire me? Make me quit my job?!" I raised my voice. "At least I have a job! I work more in one day then you've worked in your lifetime! You're never at work, you're always here, sleeping, eating, or drinking with friends somewhere!"

His eyes narrowed and he pointed at me, "You watch that damn mouth of yours!"

"What? What is it? Am I right? Am I a bigger success than you? Is that why you don't want me working, to drag me down to your level? Well you're about as low as it goes…"

He was through with talk as much as I was. He grabbed my shirt and flung me against the wall.

Oh no.

Oh no.

I lost control.

I was through with it all. I wasn't taking this abuse any longer. Since he couldn't be reasoned with and was so eager to fight, I fought back.

It was swift, one blow. Nothing big.

In a split second, I remembered the abuse I had taken all my life and focused it into my fist. I held in my hand a lifetime of hatred, and I used it.

I bounced back from the wall and came at him as quickly as I could. He was confused, but so was I.

I let my fist fly in a fury of grief and malice. I hit him square on the nose, crushing it to bits.

In no more than two seconds I was covered in blood. It splattered onto my shirt and the floor surrounding us. He let out a quick but powerful wail, staggering backward, and against the far wall.

He slid down the wall to the floor. Mother dropped the plate she carried. I lowered my fist. All was silent.

Mountains crumbled, cities collapsed, the universe swallowed itself.

And the horrible silence.


	6. The Shining Serpent

**Thanks to everyone who submitted reviews and gave their continued support. I haven't updated this story in a while, but rest assured, I do intend to stay with it until the end.**

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It wasn't long before I realized it was probably best that I get the hell out of that house.

I turned and ran through the door, leaving my mother and father behind.

Now I was in for it. I had no place to go. I supposed I could ask one of my friends to keep me for the night. But then what? Where would I go? Where COULD I go?

As I contemplated this, walking down the street from my house, a voice sounded.

At first I thought it was my father, yelling and coming to chase me down, but it wasn't. It was another voice I knew well. It was that of Nash Theromin.

"Arkel? Hey Arkel!" He yelled. I turned to see him trying to catch up with me.

"Hello Nash." I managed to finally utter when he was next to me.

"Marto's arranged an evening for the guys at The Shining Serpent. He sent me to get you."

Marto, oh God Marto, thank you, thank you. You're a great friend, a liberator, a savior.

You're a God.

"You coming?" He asked.

"Sure. I don't have anything else to do…"

We took off back in the direction of my house. I shuddered as we rounded it and headed toward the Shining Serpent. I expected to be chased down by my own father any minute. But the house was still silent.

It wasn't long at all before he noticed my shirt was splattered liberally with blood.

"Say…" He looked down at my shirt, "What's all this now? You aren't hurt are you?" He stopped me and turned me around to face him.

"No, I'm fine…" I lied.

"Well why's your shirt splattered with….blood?" He stared at me inquisitively.

I hesitated at first. Could I reveal what I had done to Nash, or any living being for that matter? But I didn't have anyone else right now. I was alone except for these people I worked with. What the hell.

"Well…" I continued walking, he followed, "I kind of….knocked my old man flat."

Nash walked silent for a couple of seconds. Then a grin crossed his face. He busted out laughing. He guffawed at my statement like I'd told the funniest joke he'd ever heard.

"Did you now?" He finally managed to say. "Well, I'm proud of you."

"Why'd….why did you laugh?" I asked him.

Nash coughed from laughing so hard and said, "Oh, I guess I just didn't expect that from you. I always thought you were a pacifist."

I chuckled briefly, but kept my view on the path in front of us. It was nighttime but the lampposts kept the streets properly illuminated. But why were we doing this? Why were we going to the Shining Serpent tonight? What was Marto doing? What did he have planned?

People were retiring from their homes. The streets would be all but empty soon, the streets, but not the Shining Serpent. It was always full of people, all night, every night. It wasn't exactly a rough place though. Sure, the occasional bar fight broke out, but that's true of any tavern really. My worry wasn't that we would be in danger going, but that we couldn't get in. Neverwinter's drinking laws weren't strict, and I wasn't exactly sure what the law said, but I was pretty sure we would be too young to go in. Nash could pass for a full grown adult as he was nearing adulthood anyway. I would be another thing entirely.

"Here we are!" Nash finally called out. He pointed ahead of us to the most popular Tavern in the Beggar's Nest, the Shining Serpent.

I let Nash walk ahead of me, quite prepared to let him do the talking. We approached the doors quickly. There were two men standing right inside the doors. Nash walked up to them without fear. He smiled at one of them and said, "Hey Bruke. Another coming in for Marto's table." The large man returned the smile and waved us through.

I had only been inside the Shining Serpent a couple of times in my life. What I saw here, I liked. This was a relaxed environment. People were laughing, drinking, singing, and feasting. This was what I needed. Nash walked through the crowds of people so fast I almost lost him.

There he was...arms crossed, legs crossed, and a sly grin across his face. He sat at a table with a good number of my co workers. There were his three officers, Gor, Fallon, and Krast, each one as gloomy and silent as usual. Kad was sitting next to Phwee, and Lusce sat next to him. Arch was sitting toward the corner, out of sight and looking deeply troubled.

"There they are!" Marto called out. Nash motioned for me to come and sit. He sat opposite of Marto, next to Arch in the corner. I sat down beside Nash and continued to observe my surroundings. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. But what was the point of all this? It wasn't like Marto to just bring us all out for a good time; he had to have something planned…

"So, now that everyone's here, what say we order something to drink?" Marto snapped his fingers and waved a large man in our direction. The man wore a scruffy black beard; his eyes were dark and serious. His knuckles were red and hard looking, as if his fists were used to pounding on other peoples' fragile bodies. This was the kind of men Marto commanded…

"A pint of Ale for my _associates_ and I." Marto said calmly. The large man looked at us all, counting us one by one. He then nodded to Marto and turned to walk away.

I noticed something about Marto. When he addressed us, he used the word "associates" instead of "friends." I wandered if it was a word he had ever used? As far back as I can remember...Marto was always in control. He didn't need to lower himself to the levels of his "employees." He was Marto. He had no use for friends.

Arch shook like a leaf in the wind. He was deeply disturbed by something. Nash leaned on the table and began a humorous story about a priest and a nymph. I looked over his back into the corner where Arch said. I made sure no one was paying particular attention to me and I whispered, "Arch?"

He didn't look up at me.

I whispered again, "Arch? You okay?"

I seemed to have broken the concentration he had on whatever was on his mind. He looked up at me. He half-smiled and said, "Yeah Arkel….I'm fine. Don't worry about me!"

I felt compelled to question him more, but I didn't. I instead, turned my attention to the others sitting around the table. I was here, I might as well have a good time before I had to figure out where I was staying the night.

"…so then she says, "You're all the way out here, who's gonna find out?" Nash winked suggestively at the others. A small chuckle escaped Marto's lips.

It wasn't a real chuckle, it was fake. Marto was luring us into a sense of relaxation. He found little if anything amusing about Nash's story. He was plotting something, but I couldn't figure it out….yet.

The large man returned to the table, carrying a tray this time. He set a pint of ale in front of us. The pints hit the table with an effective clank, splashing drops of the intoxicating liquid across the wooden table. Arch jumped at the sounds. He shivered severely. Marto shot him questionable glances every once in a while, and only within a quarter of a second to make sure no one noticed. He wanted desperately to shut him up.

Was Arch sick? If so, what manner of sickness could be causing him to shake like that? Maybe he caught something from Jonce…

Or maybe….did Marto do something to him?

The large bearded man picked up his tray and walked to Marto's side. He bent down and spoke in hushed tones. No one else was paying attention.

The man cupped his dirt caked hands and said, "If it doesn't trouble you too greatly young master….the manager would like his tonic now."

The conversation stopped. Everyone had heard, despite their lack of attention, the bear-like man's words. Marto simply smiled and, never looking a single person in the eye, said, "Of course. I'm a man of my word, and it looks like your night manager is too."

Marto reached into his coat and pulled out a small bottle, filled with our product, Doss Tonic. He handed it to the large man slowly and let go of it equally relaxed.

I doubted a single one of us could hand over a bottle of Doss Tonic so casually in a public setting, even Nash.

The large man left our table, concealing the precious bottle as best he could.

We stared. Marto had done what none of us could have possibly done. He had sold illegal substances in public, without restraint, without even trying to conceal the bottle. How could he do that? But then again, what the hell were we all doing in a tavern with pints of ale?

Marto turned to us. He smiled with his usual countenance and said, "You see boys, that's business. In exchange for letting us in here for a nice evening out, the night manager gets a discount on his bottle of Doss Tonic." We all eyed him, astonished. "But don't think those drinks are free. The owner might notice if an entire round of ale was missing with no record of payment…"

I was the first to raise my drink and say, "To Marto."

Everyone else followed suit. My job was getting better. Maybe, even if I had to kiss his ass a little, it would get even better than it was.

We drank and joked with one another for the rest of the night. Though we were near the back, it must have looked strange to the tavern goers…a group of teenage boys drinking and laughing in a tavern…

Arch barely touched his drink. I could stand it no longer. If Arch wouldn't tell me what was happening, maybe someone else would. I leaned over and whispered to Nash, "Say….what's gotten into Arch?"

Nash pulled himself from the conversation and spoke quietly to me, without turning or making eye contact. "It's his parents. They found the tonic."

I nearly spit up my drink.

So someone knew already…

"But that's not just why he's shook up…" Nash continued.

"Does Marto know?" I asked with as much concern as I was feeling.

"Yeah….THAT'S why he's shaking like whore in a temple."

I contemplated this info briefly. Someone knew Arch had the Tonic, and Marto knew that they knew.

It was of course, not good.

"What was Marto's reaction?"

Nash shook his head and sighed, "Not sure. He just said, 'Something will have to be done about them.' He was talking about Arch's parents."

I looked over at Arch. He was sweating and he was struggling not to let others see that his eyes were watering.

"So the way I see it, he thinks Marto's gonna harm them somehow. And if he doesn't, he's worried what they'll do to him if they find out he's operating with a band of thieves, which they eventually will I guess. Or, most likely, it's a combination of both. Poor kid….he may not know what to think right now…"

I sat back and contemplated this carefully. So Marto not only held power over our lives at work, he held power over our home lives too? What I wouldn't give for him to hire some goons and have them beat the mortal hell out of my parents...

We ordered another round, then another. Some of them were getting tipsy. Marto forbid them from ordering another after that.

Everyone was satisfied. We had a delightful night out, joking and laughing without the slightest care of what was going on in the outside world. Marto had given us a much needed break from life….maybe he wasn't so bad after all…It was perfect…the perfect night…

Marto looked around. "Is everyone done?" We all nodded politely to him. He nodded back and called the large man over again.

"All done for the night master?" He said in his deep tone of voice.

"Yes, yes, that'll be all…" Marto reached into his coat. He fumbled around in it for a second. Our air of relaxation broke. What was he looking for? He had money….right?

"Oh dear…it appears I've forgotten my gold." Our eyes widened. We glanced at one another.

"What to do…oh Arkel!" He turned and looked at me across the table. My heart sank and my eyes twitched slightly. "Would you mind picking up the tab this time?"

You rotten, diabolical, bastard.

I felt my pocket. I prayed I had forgotten mine as well. I felt thing clinging of coins in my money pouch. I couldn't leave my money at home. Father would find it and spend it on God knows what. It was all I had.

I looked to everyone else at the table; their looks were questioning and pleading. Marto smirked at me subtly from his seat across the table.

I gave in. I looked at him with as much composure as I could muster.

"Sure Marto, I'll get the drinks."


End file.
